A Father's Love
by drakie cakie
Summary: After Astoria leaves Scorpius Malfoy at the tender age of five, he drowns his sorrows in dance. What will happen when he meets someone who can fill the gap in his heart his mother left? AS/S
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Howdy! Um… I just want to say that I'm 100 Texan and NOT British, so I apologize for any Americanisims/Texanisms. This is un-betaed, but I'm an editor, so hopefully there aren't any glaring errors. If there are, then feel free to kick my ass about them. 

A Father's Love

"And they lived happily after until the end of their days," Draco Malfoy finished, closing the fairytale book he had been reading from. Scorpius Malfoy yawned and snuggled into his father's side.

"Daddy, do people really fall in love and live happily ever after?" he asked sleepily. Draco set the heavy book on the bedside table and put an arm around his son, the light of his life, and the one person who would love him unconditionally. 

"Well, some do. You just have to find that special person," he said, stroking Scorpius' hair soothingly. The young boy made a contented sound as his father's voice lulled him to sleep, which he was abruptly pulled from when he heard the telltale sound of a zipper. Draco heard it, too. He kissed the crown of his son's head and slid off the side of the bed to see where the noise came from.

"Hurry up, Twinky! Get those bags downstairs!" Astoria Greengrass barked at the house-elf. Twinky squeaked and lugged the heavy suitcase down the stairs. 

"Astoria, what are you doing?" Draco asked warily. He was pretty sure he knew what she was doing; he'd known for months. Ever since she found that Brazilian Quidditch star at the World Cup, she'd been taken with his large muscles and charming smile. 

"I'm leaving, Draco. For good," she said stiffly. Draco saw red.

"You're leaving me? What about your son!" he yelled, not thinking that Scorpius could hear them perfectly from his room.

"He's your problem now," she replied, straightening her robe and walking past him. Draco ran after her.

"How dare you say that? What, you going to go live with your Brazilian bon-bon? Is this fling more important than Scorpius or me? How can you do this to him?" he questioned, following her down the stairs to the ground floor.

"Oh, honestly, Draco! You care more about that little snot than you ever did about me! He gets all your attention and affections, and I'm left unsatisfied and unloved!" she yelled, dropping her cool composure. 

"You can't expect me to spend every waking moment with you when I've got a five-year-old son who needs me! While you're off all the time with your girlfriends and what's-his-name, I'm home with him! You have no idea how much it hurts him!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the marble foyer. 

"I wouldn't get any attention if I stayed home anyway! I'm going to be with someone who places me as his highest priority. Good evening, Mister Malfoy!" she spat, throwing her wedding ring at his feet. He watched helplessly as she stormed out of the manor, the house-elf running after her.

"Daddy?" a timid voice asked behind him. Draco bit his lip and turned to see Scorpius shaking under the stairs where he'd been hiding, surreptitiously listening to his parents argue. "Is Mummy gone?" he asked brokenly. Draco felt his heart break as he saw his son tremble, trying not to cry. He sat on the hard floor and opened his arms, shortly filled with the blond boy. 

"Yes, Scorpius. She's gone. But we don't need her," he said, silent tears cascading down his cheeks. Scorpius pulled back and looked into his father's face, surprised that he was crying. 

"But what are we gonna do without a mummy?" he asked. Draco thumbed the tears from the small face, smiling through his own. 

"From now on, I'm going to be your mummy and your daddy. Is that all right?" he asked. Scorpius smiled and nodded. "Here," Draco said, picking up Astoria's wedding ring. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and spelled a necklace chain into his hand. After threading the ring through it, he put the chain over his son's head. "I want you to keep this for me," he said softly. 

"I'll take real good care of it," Scorpius said, cupping the ring in his hand. It had one diamond in the middle and three small garnets on either side of it, set into a white-gold wedding band. 

"I know you will, and I promise to take real good care of you. Deal?" Draco said, holding his hand out professionally. Scorpius smiled and shook his father's hand.

"Deal."

Scorpius scooped up a small black puppy from the lot of grey and ginger puppies, cuddling the warm bundle against his chest. Draco had brought Scorpius to a Wizarding pet store in England, determined to find a pet that would make him happy. Scorpius refused to befriend any of the kids at his private school or in his dance classes, opting to sit by himself and withdraw. Draco knew he couldn't make his stubborn son socialize, but he could at least find him an animal friend. Scorpius, however, wasn't aware of this trick.

"Do you like that one?" Draco asked. The blond boy was lightly petting the black puppy behind the ears. He nodded and rubbed his cheek across its soft fur. "Would you like to bring him home?"

Scorpius' eyes widened. 

"Can I?" he asked. Draco nodded and smiled. Scorpius beamed and snuggled his puppy. 

"Thank you, Daddy!" he squealed, hugging his father's waist lightly as not to squish the puppy. Draco's heart warmed and he rubbed his son's back.

"What would you like to name him?" he asked as they walked to the register, the black dog now on a leash and collar, Draco holding the food and water bowl. Scorpius hmm'ed to himself.

"Puffle," he decided. Draco arched an eyebrow. "Yes, Puffle is a good name, isn't it, Daddy?" he asked innocently. Draco smiled and nodded. He paid for the animal and its necessities before leaving the pet store, glad that he found his son a new friend. The smile on the boy's face was worth it.

September 1

Scorpius was knocked from his sleep when he heard the jeering voice of James Potter.

"Hello, Lily. How are you and your snakes doing?" he asked snidely. Lily Potter stuck her tongue out at James, straightening her Slytherin tie. 

"Bugger off, James," she replied through gritted teeth. 

"Tell me, Lily, what's it like being a snake with that Malfoy kid, huh? I'm absolutely dying to know," he said dramatically, looking pointedly at Scorpius, who turned red and pretended to still be asleep. 

"Fuck off, James," someone said from the corridor. James sneered at his little brother and went to his compartment at the other end with the rest of his Gryffindor cronies. Albus Potter sighed and joined Lily and Scorpius in their compartment, closing the door behind him.

"I apologize for my brother's abysmal behavior," Albus said to Scorpius' feigned-sleep form. He could tell by the way he was breathing that he was indeed awake. The blond sat up and ran a hand through his long hair, gripping the ring on his necklace, just making sure it was still there. 

"Yeah, James is an arse," Lily tacked on. Scorpius nodded and tucked one side of his hair behind his ear in a shy gesture. Albus studied him. 

"Al, this is Rory," she said, gesturing to Scorpius. Albus smiled widely and held his hand out to the blond.

"Enchanted," Albus said charmingly, shamelessly flirting. Scorpius blushed and shook Albus' hand gently. His father always told him to shake firmly so they know you're there, but he could never bring himself to do it. 

"Nice to meet you," Scorpius said with pasted-on politeness. He'd never gotten the knack of talking to people since the only people he talked to were his dad and his dog. 

"Loosen up!" Albus encouraged. "Us Gryffindors don't bite except on special occasions," he teased. Scorpius smiled slightly at that, making Albus feel like he'd accomplished something. "I don't suppose I have a class with you?"

"We've been in the same Potions class for five years," he said softly. Albus blanched and coughed uncomfortably. "I always sat behind you. I don't expect you to remember me."

"Ah, well, now I will, won't I?" he asked. "So, you're Draco Malfoy's kid, right?" he asked. Scorpius nodded eagerly. 

"Mhm. You know him?" he asked. Albus was taken aback by his sudden change in attitude, but nodded.

"Yeah. My dad used to know him in school," Albus said vaguely, watching Scorpius finger-comb his long hair. It was sort of… captivating. The train lurched.

"Looks like we're here!" Lily announced happily. She pulled her trunk down and helped Scorpius with his. 

"See ya, Al!" she called as her and Scorpius walked off the train, Albus watching the boy's hair sway in the breeze.

September 15

Albus watched Scorpius. He always was with Lily, obviously her best friend. Of course, he already knew that. When she'd write home, she'd write more about 'Rory' than anything else. Apparently, he was a dancer and had been since he was six. Albus couldn't imagine being dedicated to something so fully for that long. 

Albus was watching the boy right now in the Great Hall. He opted to wear his hair in a low ponytail than free like he did on the train. He just smiled at something Lily said, and it had to be the prettiest smile he believed he'd ever seen. Oh! Albus could see that he had dimples, too. How cute!

"Albus!" Rose said, poking Albus' arm with her fork.

"Ow! What?" he asked irritably while rubbing his arm. 

"I've been poking you for five minutes! I need you to quiz me for our OWLs!" she said pleadingly. Albus rolled his eyes.

"Those are even until the end of the year, Rosie Posy," he replied exasperatedly. She stabbed him again with her fork where he was sure he'd have four little poke-mark bruises in the morning.

"Don't call me Rosy Posy, Ally!" she teased. He glared at her and stole her roll, stuffing it in his mouth all at once. She made an offended noise and stole one of his sausages right back. He smiled around his mouthful and swallowed. 

"Rosie, what do you know about Rory Malfoy?" he asked. She arched a red eyebrow at him. 

"Scorpius?" she clarified. He looked at her funny. "That's his full name." Realization dawned on his face and he nodded. "Well, I know he's an only child," Albus shivered, "and that he lives with just his dad. Oh, and he's naturally blond," she added, smiling. 

"He's only got a dad?" he asked. She nodded.

"That's what Lily told me. Won't tell me why, though. Says it's none of my business. Damn Slytherin," she mumbled, shoveling mashed potatoes into her mouth. He smiled, looking at Scorpius again, who was delicately nibbling on a green bean. 

"I think I'm gonna talk to him," he told her. She shrugged. 

Albus waited until Scorpius was finished eating before he made his move. When he left the Great Hall, Albus followed, shoeless as not to make any noise. 

He followed him up countless flights of stairs, amazed he hadn't been noticed yet, when the blond walked back and fourth in front of a space of wall. What was he doing? When a door appeared, Albus' eyebrows went up. He followed the slight boy into the hidden room. 

It had turned into a large, wood-paneled studio with a mirror going along the entire wall. There was a bar perched on the wall and a Wizarding music player. There was a little alcove inside where Albus could hide and watch -- apparently the Room saw that, too. Albus watched with wide eyes as Scorpius flicked his wand at the stereo, a dance song starting to pound out of the speakers. 

Scorpius threw his robe off and rolled his sleeves up, toeing out of his shoes at the same time. Albus winced as he slid down slowly into the splits. Albus hurt just watching him. When he started to stretch, though, Albus couldn't look away. He wished he could watch the muscles moving under Scorpius' shirt, but it was rather baggy on his frame. 

When that song ended, he stood and waited patiently for the next one to start. It was… odd to say the least. A pair of small tap shoes materialized in front of Scorpius' feet and he slipped them on, standing just in time to start dancing. Albus didn't want to blink as he watched. 

This beautiful boy mouthed the words to the song while he tapped, which was fluid like water. Albus wondered how one could spin so fast and not get dizzy and fall on his ass, but Scorpius managed it. Albus wasn't a romantic, but he felt the need to compare Scorpius' dancing to a swan at the moment. That was, until Scorpius fell.

First, his hair tie flew out of his hair in the middle of a spin, resulting in his hair slapping him in the face, ending with him losing his balance and falling on his leg awkwardly. He blew the hair out of his face with a grimace, reaching down to his ankle, which had a bruise, no doubt sprained. 

"Atch!" he said softly, prodding his ankle. "Fuck!"

Albus didn't even think about what he was doing when he flung himself out of the closet (no pun intended) and dropped to Scorpius' feet.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt really bad?" he asked, elevating the pale ankle and laying it on his knee. 

"Where did you come from?" he asked. 

"I would have thought you'd have had that conversation with your dad years ago," Albus replied dryly. Scorpius blushed and didn't look into the subject further, not noticing that Albus said 'dad' instead of 'parents' like a normal kid would have.

"Yeah, it does," he said, wincing as Albus gently pulled his shoe off. 

"I think you need to see the nurse," Albus said, looking at the ankle from all angles, already noticing the swelling. 

"And how do you expect me to get there?" Scorpius countered. 

"Well, you look small. I could carry you," Albus offered. Scorpius shook his head.

"No, that'd be way too embarrass-- AAH!" he exclaimed as Albus ignored his request, lifting him into the air and proceeding to carry him all the way down to the nurse's office. He was right; Scorpius was small, and impossibly light. 

"What's this?" the nurse, Madam Helluin, asked as Albus carried Scorpius into the infirmary. 

"We've got a sprained ankle, Madam," Albus replied, setting the light blond on a cot. 

"Oh, that can be fixed in no time!" she said, bustling away. She came back with an ice pack and spellotaped it to Scorpius' gimpy ankle.

"I'm afraid that's all we can do for it. Keep that on for thirty minutes, and then you can head back to your dormitory," she informed him, going to attend to another patient. Scorpius sighed and flopped back against the pillows. Albus cupped his ear with his hand, making a strange face, obviously expecting Scorpius to thank him. He sighed again.

"Thank you, Albus, for carrying me down seven flights of stairs," he said, smiling at the triumphant look on Albus' face. 

"It was only the proper thing to do," he said proudly. "So, those were some pretty nice moves in there." Scorpius blushed. "No, seriously! I could never do anything like that! What were you practicing for?" 

"A recital," he said embarrassedly. Albus smiled. "It's supposed to be a duo, but my partner goes to a Wizarding school in Australia, but I'll see him at Christmas." 

"Ah, so do you only tap?" Albus asked, trying to show interest. 

"Tap, lyrical, jazz, ballet, and interpretive," he answered. Albus gaped.

"When exactly do you have time to do all of this?" he asked. "You must dance twenty-four seven!" 

Scorpius smiled. "Three or four hours every day, except Sunday, since I was six," he said, blushing a little more prominently. 

"Wow. I thought I was obsessed with computer games, but my hours are nothing compared to that. That takes real dedication," Albus said bemusedly. Scorpius' transparent brow furrowed in confusion.

"Comm-pue-tur? What's that?" he asked. Albus stuttered for a minute.

"Uh-h, it's a Muggle thing. Complicated," he answered vaguely. Scorpius nodded.

"So," Albus jumped, "is there a reason you stalked me?" Scorpius asked. It was Albus' turn to blush.

"Yes, and it's a very good reason," he stated confidently. Scorpius arched an eyebrow.

"You gonna tell me what the very good reason is?"

"Nope." Albus smiled. "You're just gonna have to figure that one out, wily Slytherin."

Scorpius grinned. He loved a challenge.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: There are ballet references in here that I'm not sure are spelled correctly, so I apologize if I offend any dancers. I fail at dancing, I just thought a dancer boy would be adorable. 

Scorpius, eight, sat on his grandfather's leg as he bounced the boy up and down. Scorpius squealed in delight, making Lucius Malfoy's heart melt. His grandson really was the apple of his eye. Draco and Narcissa watched from across the room in their own squashy armchairs, sipping tea. 

"Oh, darling," Narcissa said to Draco, "whatever shall I do for the boy's birthday present? It's coming up rather soon. What do you think about him in cerulean—"

Knock, knock, knock.

Everyone turned toward the door, Lucius stopping bouncing Scorpius on his leg. 

"I'll get it," Draco said, setting his tea on the coffee table and walking towards the door. He looked through the peephole and gasped. Apparently, the person on the other side had heard him and swung the door open.

"Astoria!" Draco exclaimed.

"Mummy?" Scorpius asked softly. Lucius hugged Scorpius to his chest.

"No, son, she is not your mum. Don't pay any attention to her," Lucius whispered into his grandson's ear. 

"Draco! How lovely it is to see you! I say, look what you've done to the place!" She gestured around the manor, which Narcissa had redecorated. "Oh, Scorpius, darling," she said, walking towards Scorpius with her arms outstretched. 

"Keep away from my son!" Draco said harshly, stepping in front of her.

"Why, Draco, dear, I've come back to you! Isn't it wonderful? I apologize for my brief lapse of judgment—"

"That's not how it works, Astoria. What, did your hunk decide to run off with someone younger after he got tired of you? Come running back because I've got the Malfoy fortune to my name?" Draco jeered. Astoria looked properly astounded.

"But, darling, I love—"

"You don't know the meaning of that word, and I will thank you to get the hell out of my house," Draco said darkly. Astoria huffed and pushed him out of the way, kneeling in front of Scorpius.

"It's Mummy, sweetie. Don't you want your mummy back? Oh, I see you've been keeping my ring safe! Give the ring back to Mummy," she said, opening her hand. Scorpius' hand flew to the ring around his neck.

"No," he said stubbornly. Astoria made a surprised noise.

"Give. Me. My. Ring," she said slowly, darkly. 

"Actually, Astoria, you will see here—Reggie! Bring me Draco's will!" 

A house-elf bowed in front of him before popping away, appearing not five seconds later with said will. He handed the scroll of parchment to Lucius, bowed, and popped away again.

"Ah, here we are! When you left my son three years ago, you left your ring behind. Seeing as Draco bought that ring with his money, it technically makes it Draco's ring. Since he gave it to Scorpius after you left it, it became Scorpius' ring. And, seeing as you've been written out of Draco's will--" He showed her where her name had been scratched out crudely with black ink, "--that ring no longer belongs to you. So simply, Astoria: no. That is not your ring. That is Scorpius' ring. Taking it would be stealing, and I assure you that you'd be hearing from my law-wizards if you tried," Lucius finished coolly, rolling the scroll back up and setting it on the coffee table. 

Astoria, along with everyone else in the room, was gazing at Lucius with astonishment. She looked helplessly at Narcissa, who was still sipping her tea as if nothing was wrong. The grandmother shrugged.

"You were never in my will, bitch," she said, taking a delicate drink of tea. 

"I see," Astoria said stiffly. She stood up and straightened her skirt before marching out of the manor. Draco looked into his father's eyes adoringly.

"Thank you, Father," he breathed. Lucius smiled triumphantly. 

"Never underestimate the power of a Malfoy, Draco. And you remember that, too, Rory." Lucius looked sternly down at Scorpius, who nodded vehemently. 

"So, I get to keep my ring?" he asked. 

"Yep," Draco said, picking his son up from his father's leg. "That ring will never be hers, Scorpius." He looked his son in the eye. "Don't ever forget that."

"I won't, Daddy."

November 10

Scorpius jogged up to Lily on his way to the library, his long hair bouncing behind him. 

"Lily!" he called. She turned around and smiled. 

"Morning, Rory. How's your head?" she asked when he fell into step next to her.

"It's much better. I can think without my head exploding now. I'm probably just stressed about my recital…" he said nervously.

"It's during the hols, right?" she confirmed. He nodded. "And I still have a front-row ticket?"

Scorpius smiled. "Of course, and who ever else in your family wants to come. I'm gonna need all the encouragement I can get. It's the first duo performance I've ever done, so it's just gonna be me and Wolfie."

"Don't be worried, you're a wonderful dancer!"

Albus watched as his sister and her best friend chatted, walking idly down the corridors. They didn't know he was spying on them, and he would prefer it stayed that way. Actually, he'd been doing this for two months. He just couldn't believe how much Scorpius came out of his shell around her. It was… eerie. He was like another person with a personality. 

Though, he had to wonder what made this boy Slytherin. He was just too nice and shy to be one, Albus thought. He knew what made Lily one; she was just evil. She was nicer around Scorpius, but then again, she was like that with everyone except him and James. 

"Ow!" Albus ran into the wall since he wasn't looking where he was going. Well, he thought, time to get friendly.

He followed the duo into the library, where they took a seat at the back and both pulled out schoolbooks: Charms for Lily, Arithmancy for Scorpius. Though, once Scorpius pulled his notes out, his brow instantly furrowed. Whether it was in confusion or concentration, he didn't know. He had his answer when Scorpius angrily scratched half the page with his black-feathered quill. Time to intervene. 

"Having trouble, Rory?" Albus asked. Scorpius looked up, as did Lily. He half-smiled and nodded sullenly. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Trannograms. They're confusing as hell. Our professor tells us to use the T-chart method, but I forget how it works…" he trailed off, redrawing a 'T' and putting numbers on each side. Albus pulled a seat up in his personal space (intentionally) and looked over his shoulder. 

"I see your problem. You need to put the hard numbers on this side, and the soft numbers on this side," Albus advised, gesturing. Scorpius made the necessary changes and then worked out the Trannogram from there. He did it. Albus smiled smugly. 

"Thanks," he said to Albus. "I like to think of them as transsexual-grams, sort of a pneumonic device." Albus laughed out loud. 

"Need help with anything else?" he offered. Scorpius shook his head.

"No, but thank you, though. I think I get it now." Scorpius set to work out the rest of the problems, now much easier since he knew what he was doing. It took all of ten minutes. "There!" he said proudly. 

"So, I hear you've got a recital coming up," Albus said casually. He blushed and nodded. "Is there a ticket for me?"

"If you want one," he said shyly, closing his book and tying his scroll off. 

"Well, I most certainly do. What kind of flowers do you like?" 

Scorpius coughed a little. 

"Flowers? Why ever would you need to get me flowers?" he asked skeptically. 

"To throw at you after the performance. I'd say roses, but if I missed, they'd stab you." Scorpius laughed, a wonderful tinkling sound that sent shivers down Albus' spine. 

"Why don't you surprise me, then?" Scorpius asked. Albus shrugged.

"Whatever works for you."

"Oi!" James called, coming towards them. "I'm gonna go get dressed for the Slytherin party. You coming, Lil?" he asked. Lily nodded and stood.

"Bye, Rory!" she said, hugging him briefly and leaving with James.

"You're not going to the Slytherin party?" Albus asked curiously. Scorpius shook his head.

"No, they usually consist of drinking and embarrassing party games, and Dad said that if I ever drank, he'd burn my pointe shoes." He shuddered with horror. 

"Pointe shoes? Are they pointy?" Albus asked. Scorpius shook his head and laughed softly.

"No, they're ballet shoes, only they've got a block at the toe," he explained. 

"That sounds painful."

"It was for a while, but I got used to it years ago." Scorpius shrugged. Albus had a thought.

"Well, hey, if you wanna stay in Gryffindor tonight, tha'd be fine. I've got plenty of room. I know one of my Housemates is staying in Slytherin for the party, so you could use their bed. It'd be quiet," Albus offered. Scorpius' grey eyes lit up. 

"Really? Thanks so much!" he said fervently. Albus shrugged. 

"On one condition," Albus said, holding up a finger. Scorpius arched a pointed eyebrow. "You dance for me in those pointy shoes." Scorpius smiled and nodded.

"Deal."

November 10, night

"Ooh! The leotard, too!"

"No! That's embarrassing to wear!"

"Pleeeeeease?"

…

"Oh, fine."

They stuffed Scorpius' pointe shoes, leotard, clothes, and hair tie into a rucksack before leaving the Slytherin dorms. As they passed through the common room, party loud and in full swing, the Slytherins threw random things at them, booing. When a boy with dark blond hair threw a butterbeer bottle at Albus, Scorpius whipped his wand out and deflected it so fast Albus didn't see it.

"Hey! Back the hell off!" Scorpius said threateningly, aiming his wand at them, to which they immediately stopped throwing things at the Gryffindor. 

"Wow, have to be on your toes in Slytherin, huh?" Albus asked once they got out. Scorpius nodded.

"They're pretty horrible. They normally won't mess with me because of my dad's reputation, but most of them are drunk by now. Inhibitions are thrown to the wind, as are their undergarments." 

Albus laughed. As they walked towards Gryffindor Tower, Albus could tell that Scorpius was becoming more and more comfortable with him. This was good. He was opening up. 

He led him into the common room and took the sack from Scorpius, tossing it on the floor in front of a red sofa. Most good little Gryffindors were asleep right now, but a few stayed behind: Rose, Hugo, and Kennedy Thomas were all sitting in a circle on the floor talking.

"Oh, hi, Al!" Rose said when she saw them. 

"Hey, Rosie Posy. This is Rory. He's gonna stay here tonight," Albus said, gesturing to Scorpius. He waved slightly. "C'mon, they don't bite. Well, Hugo might."

"Hey!" Hugo said, throwing a Bertie Botts' bean at him. Albus caught it and ate it before spitting it right back out. "Yeah, I threw a sardine flavored one at you on purpose." Hugo grinned slyly. 

Albus pulled Scorpius down with him and his friends after chucking the nasty bean in the corner and wiping his hand on his trouser leg. 

"That's Rose, Hugo, and Ken," Albus introduced. 

"Nice to meet you," Scorpius said politely. 

"Well, hey! Since Slytherin is having a party, why don't we have our own party?" Hugo proposed. 

"Yeah!" Albus agreed. "Oh, no, wait! Rory agreed to dance for me first." 

"A sexy dance?" Ken asked hopefully. Scorpius blushed at his obvious flirting. 

"I don't know, we'll have to see." Albus looked up at Scorpius expectantly. He sighed and grabbed his rucksack before going into the boys' bathroom. He came out a minute later with his pointe shoes on, but his school robe covered the rest of him. 

"Take it off!" Ken catcalled, whistling at Scorpius. He smiled and tied his hair back before undoing the clasp on his robe and letting it drop to his shoulders. They could see just the first few inches of his chest, covered by black, stretchy material. He did a little spin on pointe, throwing his robe off in the process. Ken caught it and hugged it. 

Albus had always known Ken was gay, and it seemed the dark-skinned boy had a little crush on Scorpius. Albus hated it. He looked back at Scorpius with wide eyes. 

The leotard was so black against his skin he looked ghostly, only in an elegant way. It was long-sleeved and he had sheer stockings covering his obscenely long legs, finishing with light pink pointe ballet shoes. He looked absolutely edible, just the meal Albus had been craving.

Albus had always known that he himself was gay. He never liked girls. Sure, he liked to play hide-and-seek with them, but he never liked them. He actually lost his virginity when he was nine to an older boy. And Albus had liked it. A lot. Him and Ken had messed around a few times, but it wasn't anything serious. But the fact that Ken liked Scorpius incensed him. Ken wasn't allowed to have him! Albus would make sure of it.

"Dance, Rory!" Rose encouraged. Scorpius blushed before doing a spin that must have lasted ten minutes. The group clapped, and Scorpius seemed more confident. 

"Can you grand gete?" she asked. Scorpius nodded. Albus looked at her curiously before turning back to Scorpius, who was walking into a far corner. What was he going to do?

Scorpius ran a few steps, did a little jump, and leaped into the air with the grace of a swan, doing the scissor splits in midair flawlessly. He touched back down weightlessly and did another small turn. Albus' eyes were drying out with all the wide-eyedness Scorpius was causing.

"That was amazing!" Albus cheered. Scorpius smiled and ran over. "If you do half that good at the recital, you're going to rock the house!" 

"Thanks, but I feel a little sleepy. What time is it?" Scorpius asked. 

"Quarter till ten," Hugo said. "One more thing? Pleeeease?" he wheedled. Scorpius smiled. 

That 'one more thing' turned into about ten more things before Albus had to drag Scorpius away from his friends. He only held his arm all the way to the dorm because he could touch Scorpius without it seeming intrusive, letting Ken see that he couldn't have the blond god. 

"They seem to like you," Albus said. Scorpius smirked.

"They liked my dancing." He yawned. "So, which bed is yours?"

Albus turned his back politely as Scorpius undressed and got into his pyjamas. He looked rather… cute in his over-sized tee shirt and thick socks. They both crawled into warm beds and fell asleep almost instantly. 

November 30

"Hey, Al," Scorpius said as he sat next to Albus at the Gryffindor table, a common occurrence now. 

"Hi, Rory," he said back. "You look like you didn't sleep."

"I didn't." Scorpius sighed and scrubbed his face. "I'm too nervous. My recital is on the twentieth, that's not that far away! What if I mess up and fall on my face? Or on my partner?" he fretted, poking his dinner morosely. 

"Rory, you know that dance backwards and forwards. You could do it in your sleep! Calm down and eat," Albus ordered, pointing to Scorpius' mashed potatoes and sausages. 

"I'll probably just throw it up."

"Eat it anyways."

"You're not my dad!"

"No, but your best mate says eat. Eat now. Eeeeeat." Albus waved a sausage under Scorpius' nose and poked his lips with it, wishing it could be his lips against Scorpius' instead of the sausage. "C'mooooon, you know you wannaaaaa. Smells good, doesn't it?" Scorpius closed his teeth around it and pulled it off Albus' fork grudgingly, arousing him to no end. He stuck his tongue out at him after chewing. 

Albus watched as Scorpius twitched and fiddled, nervous gestures. He'd twirl his hair around his index finger when he was really worked up, like he was doing now. He'd found all this rather endearing, and rather cute sometimes. 

Scorpius was just that: cute. Albus usually went for the bulky, Quidditch player type, but there was just something about Scorpius' delicateness that made him want to protect him. His bottom lip was ripped to pieces since he kept chewing on it and ripping the skin off. 

"Al, I was wondering…" he started. Albus shook his head slightly to rid himself of thoughts of kissing that bottom lip. "Would you like to spend the hols with me? You know, just until my recital? You always make me less nervous," he blurted out. Albus smiled. That was rather adorable, too. He's so cute!

"I would be honored, Scorpius," Albus said with a cheeky smile. Scorpius smiled back, those absolutely gorgeous dimples showing up. It made Albus want to pinch his cheeks. And his other cheeks. 'Damnit, Albus! Stay on task! You can grab Scorpius' arse later!' he scolded himself. 

"Eat!"

December 19 – Malfoy Manor

"Wooooow…" Albus said as he walked up the cobbled pathway to Malfoy Manor, Scorpius in tow. The Manor was bigger than he'd ever imagined. Sure, his house was pretty big, but this was like… three of Albus' house.

"Don't worry. We only use the first three floors," Scorpius said, dragging his luggage up the walkway with ease. He opened the door, and Albus ran up with his own trunk behind him.

"Daaaaaad! I'm hooooome!" Scorpius called. The word 'wow' echoed through Albus' head as he gazed around the marble foyer. 

"Did you bring me grandchildren?" someone yelled back harshly. 

"Yep! Though, this one's gonna need to be housebroken!" he said back. About ten seconds later, Draco Malfoy came through the doorway into the dining room in all his tall, blond glory. 'He looks exactly like Scorpius,' Albus thought. 

Draco made a fake disgusted sound. "Rory, you know I prefer blonds!"

"Sorry, this was all they had, but I'll take real good care of him! I'll wash him, and feed him, and take him on walks…"

"Well, I suppose he'll have to do," Draco said, pretending to be exasperated. "C'mon, I made coffee." 

Albus couldn't help but laugh through their whole encounter. Scorpius smiled at him to show he was only kidding, but Albus didn't mind. It sort of made him feel accepted. He followed the Malfoys into their dining room, which had a tray with coffee, tea, and biscuits on it. 

"Us old people need caffeine to stay alive," Draco said as he poured himself a mug of coffee, using two creamers and nothing else. Albus chuckled. Scorpius' father was rather pleasant, not an 'evil git' like his Uncle Ron would say. Scorpius handed him a cuppa, and he sat down. 

"RUFF, RUFF, BARK!"

Albus jumped as he heard the loud, baritone barking of a dog. Only a few seconds later did a huge, black, scruffy dog come bounding in, barking madly. 

"Puffle!" Scorpius exclaimed, jumping out of his seat only to be knocked down by 'Puffle'. The dog licked his face and Scorpius scratched behind his ears, laughing.

"Puffle, down!" Draco yelled. Puffle looked suitably shamed and sat up, letting Scorpius pet him. 

"I didn't know the bloody dog was going to get so big when we got him," Draco grumbled.

"Can I pet him?" Albus asked. Scorpius nodded, and they went into the backyard to play with Puffle. Draco smiled.

'He's got a new best friend, now,' he thought, watching through the window on the second landing. 'Albus is definitely what he needed.'


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm so nervous!"

"Rory, you look amazing and you're going to go out there and be brilliant! C'mere."

Scorpius accepted the hug Albus gave him, all but clinging to his friend. Albus smiled and ran his fingers through Scorpius' ponytail. 

"I'll be there in the front row with Lily and your dad, okay?" He kissed Scorpius' cheek. "Go!"

"All right," Scorpius replied, panicked. Albus ran out of the wings backstage and went to his seat.

"Is he a wreck?" Draco asked.

"He'll be fine," Albus whispered back. 

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a booming voice said through the speakers. "Thank you for coming out tonight to see our dancers. They've worked very hard, and we hope you enjoy. Our first dance is a duo called 'The Babbitt and the Bromide', a dance originally performed by Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Please welcome Wolfgang Took and Scorpius Malfoy!"

Albus and Lily stood and whistled, cheered, and clapped, much more obnoxious than everyone else. When the lights came on, Scorpius and Wolfgang were sitting on a bench reading newspapers. Then, Scorpius started tapping in his seat, lowering his paper. 'Oh, he's so adorable with his dimples!'

As the dance went on, they practically finished each other's moves. Albus was absolutely captivated. He had so much personality on stage! Albus thought he was WAY better than Wolfgang, but maybe that was because he favored Scorpius more. Whatever. Draco was beaming, as if saying, 'I created that!' 

The dance was about five minutes long, and when it ended, Albus and Lily were, once again, up and cheering loudly. Albus pulled out a bouquet of tropical flowers, the exact color of Scorpius' eyes, and tossed them one by one. Scorpius actually caught one and put it behind his ear, smiling at Albus. He tapped backstage, and the rest of the dances went on, though him and Lily left after Scorpius'. They didn't really care about anyone else's. 

The siblings snuck backstage into the dressing room, where Scorpius was collapsed on the floor, breathing hard. Albus laughed.

"That bad, huh?"

"Ugg… I'm gonna throw up."

Albus hauled the blond boy off the floor and hugged him.

"Rory, you totally kicked arse out there! How could you ever be nervous? You were perfect!" Albus congratulated, running his hands up and down Scorpius' back. He wondered what the skin looked like, felt like underneath. 

"Thank you, and thanks for the flowers! These are my favorite," he said, removing the flower from his hair and smelling it. Albus plucked it from his fingers and stuck it back behind his ear. 

"Keep it like that," he said. He just held such an air of innocence when he had the flower in his hair. Albus wondered how long he could hold back for. He didn't want to take his hands off Scorpius. 

"So, when is the Wizarding English Dance Company gonna take you?" Lily asked, hugging Scorpius, too.

"Lily, I'm not professional. They want super-fantastic pro dancers."

"You are super-fantastic! And, hey, I'll pay you a Knut, then you'll be considered professional!" Albus said, putting a Knut in Scorpius' hand. He giggled. Merlin, Albus loved his laugh!

"Thanks, Al, but I don't think this counts," he said, handing the Knut back to him. Albus shrugged. 

"Ah, well, time to go, then!" He pulled Scorpius by the hand out of the theater. Lily smirked at them. 

"Gods, I want to get out of this costume!" Scorpius said, exasperated. "It's itchy!"

Albus pretended not to look as Scorpius unbuttoned his suit and threw his hat off. He stripped off the costume and pulled on some baggy pyjama pants, shaking his hair loose before putting an oversized tee shirt on. Albus savored the few seconds he saw of Scorpius' flawless pale back, gorgeous in a vampiric way. The blond dancer then grabbed a brush from his nightstand and sat on his bed, running the brush through his hair.

"Can I?" Albus asked, sitting behind him. Scorpius shrugged and handed the brush to him over his shoulder. Albus brushed tenderly, starting at the tips and working his way up. He ran his fingers through the newly brushed hair after every stroke. It was so silky! He couldn't get enough of the satiny feeling between his fingers. He gazed at the pale neck presented before him. 

'All right, Albus, it's time to put that Gryffindor bravery to work and make your move! Do it now or forever wish you did!'

Albus brushed all of Scorpius' hair over one shoulder. He set the brush down on the opposite side of the bed and slowly descended his lips onto that beautiful neck. As his lips made contact, Scorpius gasped.

"Al… what are you doing?" he asked, breathless. Albus pressed open-mouthed kisses up Scorpius' neck to behind his ear. "Albus…"

"Does this freak you out?" he whispered. Scorpius hesitated.

"No," he finally said. "Please, more…" 

Albus gratefully obliged, dabbing his tongue inside Scorpius' ear. He shudder-moaned and grabbed at the sheets. Wow, that was a powerful reaction. He made figure-eight patterns inside his ear, eliciting more and more delicious noises that sent his blood eagerly to his cock. 

"Oh…" Scorpius said softly. Hm, Albus thought, he's a talker. I wonder if he's a screamer? "Oh!"

"Turn around," Albus said huskily. Scorpius complied eagerly, all but pouncing on Albus once he turned. Scorpius immediately pressed their lips together, and it was amazing. 'Ah, so here's his Slytherin side.' Albus greedily thrust his tongue inside Scorpius' mouth. He didn't taste sharp and minty like Albus would have thought, but warm and organic, like the tea they drank. Albus had to break away soon for breath. 

"Where did you come from?" he asked breathlessly. 

"Sorry I went nympho on you," Scorpius apologized. 

"Rory, what do you want?" Albus asked, sitting up with the light bundle in his lap. 

"Anything you can give me." Scorpius straddled him and kissed Albus' neck. 

"That's a lot you'd be getting, Rory. Are you sure?" Albus moaned as Scorpius found that one spot on his neck, just above his collarbone. 

"A Malfoy is always sure."

"All right, then." Albus flipped their positions, Scorpius making an adorable 'oof!' sound as he flopped on his back, his hair splayed across the dark red sheets. His breathing was hard and his cheeks were flushed, and it was so hot Albus could hardly stand it. With a throaty growl, he was back at Scorpius' lips, raping his mouth with his tongue brutally. 

After a few minutes of snogging, Albus moved down Scorpius' body, coming to the neck of his shirt. With an impatient noise, it was ripped off and thrown to the ground. 

Scorpius was thin and pale and delicate, like a flower, but with long, lithe, dancer muscles. Suddenly, Albus didn't want to be rough and merciless like he would normally. Scorpius just looked so dainty, Albus was afraid he'd break him if he were too hard. He changed tactics and made his kisses lighter and his caresses softer. 

"Ah-ahk!" Scorpius exclaimed, eyes wide as Albus sucked on his nipple. Scorpius' hands were instantly tangling in the black bird's nest, holding his head in place. "Yes…"

"Is that good?" Albus asked. Scorpius nodded. "Just tell me when something feels good, okay?" He didn't wait for an answer as he smooched his way down Scorpius' chest and flat stomach, pleased as the muscles jumped under his ministrations. He stabbed his tongue hard into his belly button, not really getting a response. 'Oh well, he's not a navel person. Moving down!'

He undid the zipper of Scorpius' trousers with his teeth – he didn't wear underwear, apparently -- letting the very tip of his tongue slide along the length of it. Scorpius made more of those delicious sounds.

"Albus… so good," he moaned, thrusting into Albus' face.

"It can be better, Rory. So much better…" he said as he licked a line from Scorpius' heel to his toe. The blond squirmed deliciously. 

"Better?" Scorpius asked. Albus nodded and slid back up his long body. 

"Yes, much better," he whispered. As they started kissing again, Albus reached for his wand. He tapped it on his palm, feeling the slick lotion form there. He rubbed it between his fingers before tracing one finger down Scorpius' cock. He bucked up into his hand with a helpless whimper, and Albus slipped lower, pushing his pants down lower on his hips and toying with the blond fuzz at his testicles. 

"Eee! Tickles," he breathed, shrinking away. Albus chuckled into his adorable blond's mouth before making a corkscrew motion with his finger into Scorpius' virgin hole. "Ga-ah! Albus, what the hell?"

"It's called fingering. There's a place riiiight…"

"Ah!" Scorpius' breath caught in his throat, and he made a noise so strange that even the author couldn't write it phonetically. 

"…Here! Brace yourself," Albus advised as he rubbed the knot of Scorpius' prostate mercilessly. Scorpius' moany sounds increased volume and length as his orgasm came dangerously close.

"A-Al!" he choked out. 

"Yes! Come on, Rory! Let it out!"

Scorpius cried out and arched his back impossibly off the bed as he came in thick splatters under Albus' chin. Well, maybe not impossibly. He was a dancer, after all. Turns out he was a screamer.

"I… 'm sorry, Al," Scorpius panted. "Came all over your face…"

"One notch higher, and you would have been coming up my nose," Albus teased, rubbing the cum off his chin with the backside of his hand. He dabbed his tongue in it lightly, just to taste. 

"Ew! Al, that's so unsanitary!" Scorpius exclaimed, aghast. 

"Love is unsanitary? How rude," Albus teased, not realizing what he said until a few seconds later. His eyes widened. 

"Did you just say you loved me?" Scorpius asked. 

"I—"

"Well, would you look at that?"

Scorpius and Albus both jumped at the voice at the door. They turned their heads comically slowly to see Draco standing there smirking, Harry behind him, gaping. 

"Dad! I, uh…" Scorpius realized he couldn't cover this up. Scorpius was on his back with Albus' finger in his ass, who had his other hand at his mouth covered in Scorpius' cum. (And Scorpius is half-naked, if you weren't previously aware.) 

"Let me guess, Albus was looking for his Bertie Botts, and thought that your arse might be a good place to look?" Draco said sarcastically. Albus looked at him strangely.

"You don't seem mad," he said slowly. 

"Mad? Pah! As if I wasn't caught in similar compromising positions at your age. Right, Potter?" Draco turned to Harry, whose eyes were still wide. 

"I should think not!" he yelled. Draco jumped. "Albus, what the hell! Sex at your age?" Albus removed his finger from Scorpius' ass and covered the two with a blanket. "And-and-… You're coming home right now, young man!"

"Dad, we didn't even go that far!" Albus protested.

"I don't care! You're coming home!" Harry yelled, pointing out the door. 

"…No!" he yelled back. 

"Al," Scorpius whispered, "just go—"

"No! I didn't do anything wrong!" he insisted. 

"He's right, you know," Draco said to Harry. "Sex makes the world go 'rou—"

"I don't need you to tell me how to discipline my children, Malfoy! Albus, come!" Harry said as if Albus were a dog.

"I won't! Not until you calm down!" Albus yelled. Harry made an outraged noise and Disapparated away on the spot. Albus sighed and dropped his head onto Scorpius' shoulder. 

"Dad?" Scorpius said weakly. "Could you come back after I'm dressed?"

"Oh! Yes, I'll be in the den," he said as he slipped out. When the door clicked closed, Scorpius turned to Albus. 

"Albus, did you say you loved me?" he asked softly again. Albus bit his lip and looked away. "Al—"

"I don't know! I was just being a cocky bastard, you know?" he said. 

"So, are you sure it wasn't a Freudian slip?" Scorpius asked, but he sounded putout, as if he wanted Albus to have said that he loved him. But Albus really didn't know if he did. He liked Scorpius a lot, he knew, but was he in love with him? He suddenly felt like crying, because he didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to say no and break Scorpius' heart. He cared about him too much to do that. 

"I don't know. Do you love me?" 

Scorpius looked just as troubled. 

"I don't know," he answered. "But I think I could." And then he kissed him. "I think that part comes later, though." Albus quirked an eyebrow at his oddly cheerful mood. He grinned.

"Yeah, but I think now's the time for all little Scorpiuses to get dressed so we can go have the father-son talk," Albus joked, throwing Scorpius' shirt at him.

"Oh, wait, let me get my camera!"

"Daaaaad!"

"No, no, seriously. You two holding hands is just about the cutest thing ever!"

Albus grumbled. 

Draco had taken Scorpius and Albus to King's Cross since Harry was being a prick -- Draco's words, not the author's. Albus was gripping Scorpius' hand tightly. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling. 

"Albus!" a girl shrieked from behind him. He turned and smiled at Lily. "How was Christmas?" She hugged him. He let go of Scorpius' hand to hug back. 

Boy, was that stupid. 

"Incarcerous!" 

"Scorpius!" 

"STUPEFY!"

Draco fell to the ground. Muggles ran around, screaming like headless chickens. Albus let go of Lily and snapped around to see Astoria holding Scorpius, who was tied up, against herself and stroking his hair. She smirked and Disapparated away. 


	4. Chapter 4

Albus jumped at the place where Scorpius was at with his arms open as if he could just hug him back, but he only came in contact with air. "RORY!"

"Albus, what happened?" Harry asked, running over. Albus was shaking. It had happened so fast! He didn't have time to react by the time Scorpius was gone. He felt as if all his organs had been ripped out.

"It was Astoria," Draco said from the ground, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. "Don't worry, Al—"

"Don't worry!" Albus screeched.

"—I know Astoria is a vengeful bitch, but she'd never hurt him." He stood and brushed himself off.

"How can you be so bloody calm!" Albus demanded. Lily was shaking, too. Albus held her, mostly to cover up his own trembling.

"It's a Slytherin thing," Draco said dismissively. "The reason I'm calm is because…" He looked around at the Muggles, still scared and pointing at him. "Not here." He grabbed Albus' shirt and pulled him away into the boys' bathroom. There, he Disapparated away with all of them.

"Wow," Lily said as they were taken to Malfoy Manor. Harry turned to Albus.

"Albus, please, I'm—"

"I know, Dad. But that's not important right now!" Albus said. Draco made a frustrated noise, opened a chest of drawers, and threw a vial at Albus. He caught it clumsily and read the label: Calming Draught.

"Take that, your irrationality isn't helping," Draco said tiredly. Albus scowled and downed the potion, feeling immediately lightheaded and loopy. He fell into a fluffy black armchair and let his mind swim.

"Yes, that was a more potent one. Anyway, I'm calm because I put a Tracking Charm on Scorpius' ring." Everyone gasped. "All I have to do is activate it, and it'll Apparate me there. But first, we need to call someone up." He jogged over to the fireplace and threw some Floo powder in.

"Ireland Malfoy Property!" he yelled clearly, sticking his head in. A few minutes later, Draco pulled out and stepped back a few paces. A few more seconds later, Lucius Malfoy came through in all his longhaired, snake-caned glory, looking murderous.

"Who took my grandson?" he asked dangerously. Lily swallowed heavily and shifted in the presence of the intimidating Malfoy.

"Astoria. At King's Cross," Draco answered professionally. Lucius nodded and sat. Albus looked at them like they were crazy.

"Why are we sitting and not acting?" he asked with as much vigor as one could when under the influence of Draco Malfoy's Super-Strength Calming Draught.

"We need to plan," Draco and Lucius said in unison.

"The last living Death Eater…" Harry breathed. Lucius nodded.

"Death Eater?" Albus asked. "Voldemort's army?"

Even though he'd been dead for years, Lucius and Draco still shuddered at the name.

"You were a part—"

"Yes, boy, we were, and you're going to need our intelligence to get to Scorpius," Lucius said, cutting him off. Albus harrumphed and sat back, crossing his arms.

"Now," Lucius started again, "Draco, I believe you put a Tracking Charm on Scorpius' necklace?" Draco nodded. "Excellent. We'll activate it in a minute."

"If I know Astoria, and I know I do, she's taken Scorpius somewhere no one would guess in a labyrinth no one of ordinary intelligence could get through," Draco said thoughtfully.

"Well, it's good we've got three Slytherins with us, then, isn't it?" Harry asked sardonically, a little annoyed at being hinted at that he didn't have 'normal intelligence'.

"Protego should be used at all times, Disillusionment Charms, Healing and Melting Potions… What else?" Draco listed.

"That sounds fine, and we'll be on our guard the entire time," Lucius said expectantly. They all nodded.

"I'll fetch them," Draco said, jogging away towards his lab. He came back in a few minutes with satchels for everyone. "Blue is healing, red is melting. Only to be used if you have to melt through a wall or floor," he said, handing everyone a leather satchel. He gave Albus a red potion. "Counteracts the Calming Draught." Albus nodded and downed it, glad to have his full alertness back.

"If one of us gets separated, don't panic. Don't touch anything, because it might be a Portkey. Stay together," Lucius ordered. They all nodded once again, and Lucius started more directions. "Potter Junior, take my arm. Senior, take Draco's. Girl, you, too. Draco, when I say, activate the charm." Draco nodded.

"NOW!"

"Active Rastreo!"

Crack!

Wathump!

"Ow!" Albus said, rubbing his bum, which landed on the ground. The others were doing similar things, rubbing their sore spots.

"Did it work?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but… it must have anti-Apparition wards. We landed outside of…"

They all looked up at the impressive mansion, not unlike the Malfoy's, and swallowed.

"The Greengrass Estate," Lucius finished.

"Well, that's good, right? We just have to—"

"No, silly boy, it's bound to be trapped and monitored. They probably already know we're here!" Lucius snapped. Albus promptly shut up.

"What do you propose?" Lily asked, straightening her skirt.

"Draco," Lucius said expectantly. Draco nodded and went to stand in front of the mansion. He cast a multitude of spells, one of which he had to do a little hop, which Albus and Harry snorted at. He walked back red-faced.

"Alarm upon entry, no guards, but monitoring spells, trip wires, Crucio-lasers, and the floor has a Shocking Spell on it, so it'll electrocute you without proper anti-jinxes," Draco listed. Albus and Harry gaped, suddenly glad they had two ex-Death Eaters on their team.

"Can you disengage the alarm?" Lucius asked. Draco nodded, and set off. Harry went after him.

"Potter, I can do this by myself," he said irritably, walking up the stone path to the mansion.

"But I can help, that way you won't use up all your reserves before we even get inside," he said dryly. Draco smirked at him. "What do I do?"

"Alarm on entry, so we have to find its base…" he whispered. Harry nodded. "I would guess it would be in the center of the house, so just focus your magic, and Stupefy the center quadrant, okay?" Harry nodded, and they set to work.

"What do we do here?" Lily asked, whining.

"Patience, child. I'll let you help me break the trip wires, all right?" Lucius asked smoothly. Lily squealed. Albus was fidgety, only wanting to get Scorpius and get out, but NOOOO. They had to have fifteen million booby traps! Fuckers.

"Alright," panted Harry. "Alarm system is disengaged."

"Good. Lily, shall we?" Lucius asked. Lily took his offered arm and they strode into the huge house.

As they waited, Harry tried to make some conversation.

"So, does Scorpius get his dancing talent from you?" he asked casually of the middle Malfoy. He snorted and shook his head.

"No, I can't dance worth a shit. I don't know where he gets it," he said bemusedly.

"Ah," Harry said. Then there was an awkward silence. Luckily, it didn't last long as Lucius and Lily strode back out confidently.

"Trip wires and Shocking Hex disengaged," he reported boredly. Lily hopped over to Albus, excited about telling him exactly what they looked like and how they killed them off.

"Think it's safe to enter, chief?" Albus asked. Lucius scowled at the title, but nodded. Albus gripped his wand tight and ran in, the adults and Lily trailing behind him.

The manor was just as big as the Malfoy's, but nowhere near as pretty. It was rather dank and deserted looking, actually. Draco put a hand on Albus' lower back to guide him, and it suddenly hit him how much Draco looked like Scorpius. It made his heart ache.

"So, where do you think he'll be?" Harry asked.

"The only logical places I can think of would be the basement or Astoria's bedroom," Draco said slowly, trying to evaluate it all in his mind.

"Split up?" Lily suggested.

"Indeed," Lucius answered, patting her on the head. "Slytherin, this one," he said proudly. Albus' upper lip arched. 'That was my idea, too!'

"I'll take Lily with you," Harry gestured to the elder Malfoy, "and Malfoy, you go with Albus. We'll check the basement." They nodded and Draco guided Albus towards Astoria's bedroom.

"I don't feel like I should have to say this, Albus, but keep on your guard. Astoria was a Slytherin," Draco whispered. As they approached the gaudy, pink, frilly door, Draco cast a Disillusionment Charm on both of them. They peeked through the crack in the door…

From what they could see through the crack, Astoria was on her bed, feeding a still tied up Scorpius chocolates. He turned his face away with a moue of disgust; chocolate was much too fattening for a dancer, after all. She frowned.

"Scorpius, darling, you're so thin!" she cooed, petting his hair almost roughly. "Please eat a little something for Mummy!"

"No! I refuse to eat anything you give me! Albus is going to come and save me—"

"Like you've said a million times! They can't find you here, Scorpius. Stop proclaiming that your father and your grandfather and Albus are going to come save you, they're not!" she yelled.

"Yes they are! They love me, they'll come! They'll find a wa—"

SMACK!

Tears sprang out of Scorpius' eyes as Astoria's hand made contact with his cheek sharply. Albus bit his lip so he wouldn't go and attack that woman and kill her in a painful fiery death. Draco and him snuck in as Astoria closed her eyes in frustration.

"I see some discipline is in order. Your father has spoiled you far too much, you've become so… optimistic and… vulnerable," she hissed. Draco tapped Albus' shoulder with his wand. The signal.

"Stupefy!

'Fuck, she dodged!' Draco thought.

This time, it was Astoria who fell to the ground. Scorpius looked around wildly for his saviors.

"Who's there?" he asked. Albus ran over to him, still invisible, and touched his shoulder. Scorpius jumped. "Al?"

"Yes, Rory, it's me. Your dad's here, too," he whispered so Astoria wouldn't hear. She jumped up and looked around just as frantically as Scorpius had.

"How dare you!" she yelled at Scorpius, who looked at her confusedly. "You used wandless magic on me, you little wretch!"

"I did no such thing!" he proclaimed regally. She lunged at him, and Albus used the same spell Draco had. She dodged again, but was at least thrown off balance, giving Albus time to move away, but not much. She pulled her wand out of her stocking and cast a Stunner in Albus' direction, but he had already moved. She aimed her wand at Scorpius.

"Cruc—"

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

Plunk!

Astoria's wand landed against the wall on the other side of the room where Harry picked it up, Lucius and Lily behind him. Draco Finite'd himself, Albus, and Scorpius, and he flew into the middle Potter's arms, hugging him desperately.

"Albus! I told her you would come," Scorpius said smugly. He smirked and aimed his wand at Astoria.

"Where's your wand?" he whispered to Scorpius.

"In her—"

"Ha! Stupefy!"

Harry slammed into the wall behind him (but was immediately Ennervated by Draco).

"Dad!"

Spells were thrown back and fourth between both parties. Since Albus didn't really know any hexes or jinxes that would do any harm, he, Scorpius, and Lily worked on getting the hell out of the manor. They got as far as the door before Astoria spelled it closed and Colloportus'ed it.

"Not so fast, kiddies!"

Scorpius whimpered and Albus put his arms around him, holding him against his chest. Lily hugged Albus from behind, making a sort of comfort train. The lights from the spells lit the room with pretty colors, but Scorpius was terrified. He knew their magical reserves would run out soon, and there was nothing he could do to help!

"Man, she's skilled," Albus said. And she was. She could easily battle two Death Eaters and The Boy Who Lived without breaking a sweat. Though, this battle seemed never-ending.

"Accio necklace chain!" Astoria called to Scorpius. The necklace chain yanked him through the air into Astoria's arms.

"NO!" Albus yelled, enraged, hating himself for once again letting Scorpius slip through his fingers. He was poised to jump at her and fucking choke the bitch, but she put her wand against Scorpius' throat, and he stopped, as did everyone else.

"Put your wands down, or I'll Sectumsempra his pretty pale throat!" she threatened. Everyone obeyed. "Kick them towards me!" They did. "Very nice. Now, I want you to step into the front yard, and Scorpius will be with you sh—"

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

Thunk!

Astoria hit the ground. Everyone turned to Lily, wand out and smirking.

"What? I never took my wand out, so I didn't really have anything to put down for her, now, did I?" she asked slyly. Draco didn't hold back as he picked her up off the ground and hugged her, twirling in circles.

"This one's my favorite!" he told Harry. He smiled and nodded.

"Albus!" Scorpius jumped off the bed and landed in Albus' arms, the raven-haired boy making a sort of seat for Scorpius with his hands. Scorpius threw his arms around Albus' neck and kissed him thoroughly. Lucius simply smiled and nodded his approval.

"Let's go, shall we?" Lucius asked. He picked up all their wands, Accio'ing Scorpius', and they exited the manor, Albus carrying Scorpius the entire way on his hip, the blond pecking him all over his face and neck.

"I'll go to the Auror office and have them come collect her," Harry said. He nodded to them, hugged his kids, and by association, Scorpius, and then Disapparated to the Ministry.

"I'll let the officials at Azkaban know," Lucius said, Disapparating away.

"I'm ready to go home, how about you?" Draco asked tiredly. Albus figured he had every right to be tired; he just used up most of his reserves with that battle with the evil Astoria bitch! The teenagers nodded, and Draco used the last of his reserves to Apparate them back to Malfoy Manor, where he collapsed onto a couch for a long rest.

"I'll firecall Headmistress McGonagall and see if I can get back to Hogwarts through the Floo." She waved them off, though they weren't really paying attention.

Albus carried Scorpius up to his bedroom bride-style, sharing kisses at every opportunity. He set Scorpius down outside his bedroom and put his arms around him.

"I love you, Scorpius," he said, touching their noses together. Scorpius smiled against his mouth.

"I love you, too."

'And they lived happily ever after, till the end of their days.'


End file.
